Lightning, Northampton
- When
- December 17, 7:30 AM EST
- Where
- Northampton County, Bethlehem
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.754, -75.307 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning Strike in Pennsylvania, December 17, 2000
Lightning struck the roof of the Main Street Commons in Bethlehem. A six foot by six foot section of the roof was damaged.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS PHI wrote it up.
Lightning struck the roof of the Main Street Commons in Bethlehem. A six foot by six foot section of the roof was damaged. A small fire ensued and smoke went down the elevator shaft into the building. Some of the food within the building was damaged. Total building damage and food losses were estimated at $10,000. No serious injuries were reported.
The radar
The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 118 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:31 UTC.
Event by event
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Snow in Alaska, December 17 to 18, 2000
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in New York, December 17 to 18, 2000
- Tornado and Damaging Wind in Georgia, December 17, 2000
- Flash Flooding in New York, December 17, 2000
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 17, 2000
- Flash Flood in Vermont, December 17 to 18, 2000
- Flash Flooding in Pennsylvania, December 17, 2000
- Lightning Strike in Pennsylvania, December 17, 2000
- Lightning Strike in New Jersey, December 17, 2000
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Massachusetts, December 17 to 18, 2000
- Flash Flooding and High Wind in Connecticut, December 17, 2000
- High Wind in North Carolina, December 17, 2000
More
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, December 2000
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5167376.